An Undying Sentiment
by The Unknowing Herald
Summary: Unending-verse. Wars come and go, they take lives, they take homes. Yet, those truly affected are not the dead, but the ones scarred by them. Their lives are thrown into chaos as all they knew as theirs is lost. Still, no life is without a course. No beaten path lacks a route to happiness. Sometimes, true treasure is found at an arm's reach. You just have to know what to look for.


**Author's Note: **Hello everyone. For once, let me quench those fears. This is not a full length story. This is simply a two-shot. Now, you may be asking yourself why I, who never do small stories, is writing a two-shot. Well, it is quite simple. Remember the poll I had for best character on my fics? Turns out, the mystery prize is just this. A one-shot around them. Now, Terra and Shin tied at the finals so… why not a Teryu two-shot?! This one is set on the Unending-verse, HOWEVER; it had nearly no spoilers for the fic, unless you mind knowing that Shin and Terra live at the end. Boom, spoiled! So yes, you can tell by the title what this is all about… let's put this three years of writing to a test, shall we?

* * *

**An Undying Sentiment**

**Chapter One**

**Will you?**

* * *

It was hard for Terra to think that only six months had passed ever since the true end to the struggles that had plagued her her entire life. A complete and utter resolution without any way around it. Or at least, that was how she felt. Which only made for everyday life to suddenly turn from an unending frenzy into a low profile, slow existence. Terra didn't mind it. If anything, she wholly embraced it. Her entire life had been chaos up until now, not even her times with her orphans had been completely safe as the World of Ruin had been a harsh mistress, however this didn't mean that her life was completely established and stable yet. No, there was still a lot of rebuilding to do.

"Mama, can you get me some more nails and a few boards? We're running out," Terra heard Dwayne ask from the top of their house.

"I'll be right back sweetie!" Terra exclaimed in all her motherly self before flying out the window and landing gracefully on the streets outside. She was glad she had her magic this time around. Putting it bluntly, Terra was not the most skilled in menial tasks, attribute that to most of her teenhood having been spent without anything other than war. So the fact that she could use her magic to lift things normal people couldn't or easily transport materials just made it all the better.

As she walked through the streets of the work-in-progress that was Mobliz, she felt a bittersweet feeling well up inside. On one hand, the one-house-town appeared to be growing exponentially due to the aggregation of people and the changes in geography, as it now stood at a VERY advantageous spot in the world, being at equal distances from many poignant points in the world. To the East, Midgar, which was practically the center of Fantasia. Not as big as Gaia's Archades and certainly not as gigantic as Pulse's Caelum, but still, it was the most advanced and largest city on the most modest of the three planets. To the west across the Ocean which Mobliz now bordered, was Baron. Figaro was now to the south and to the north, the welcome Narshe. All of these cities were barely over two to three hundred miles from Narshe and they all were more than wanting to have a taste of each other's wares. Midgar's established machinery, Figaro's man power and inventors, Baron's airships and resident Lunarians, and Narshe's seemingly never ending minerals. This whole meant that Mobliz was sure to become a perfect example of a town living off the trade, with the port being finalized in a couple of months and the market place taking precedence to everything but residences.

This was good for the town and for humanity in general but… Terra had to admit that she loved Mobliz when it was just the quiet and mundane residence of a group of orphans and their adoptive mother. It was a sign that not all to come would be easy to adapt to, but that hardly could get her down after all she went through.

"Looking for somethin'?" a familiar yet unexpected voice asked, a yellow flash plopping down just in front of Terra. Gasping and tethering back, Terra took a better look at the owner of the voice.

"Zidane?! What are you doing here?!"She let out in sheer shock. Hanging there from a window upside down, Zidane smiled his inverse smile at her. Zidane was a king now for all intents and purposes, Alexandria was half a world away. It took her his reminder to realize why he was there.

"Relax Terra, I'm here early for today's party!" Zidane exclaimed, jumping down from his poise and landing on his feet. "Someone has to help out, don't they?"

It then dawned to Terra that this was the day that had been scheduled for over two weeks now. She couldn't help but reminisce about it.

* * *

"Celes, as much as I enjoy my time with you, I don't see why you had to bring me here…" Terra told her best friend as they walked through a Caelumian clothes shop. While it WAS the day took off, the fact that they had gotten into an airship and crossed from a planet to another still did take more than a couple hours.

"It's been too long ever since you got any time in the mall. And by too long I mean the last three years," Celes told her as they drifted through the strangely populated clothes' shop. Caelum had taken the least amount of destruction, behind only Ivalice, so it wasn't really that surprising for Terra that they had it so easy to get back into their normal lifestyle, but a more selfish part of her did want them to help.

"Still… I did want to spend some time with my family. Why was there such a rush in coming here?" she wondered while Celes shuffled through a veritable mountain of dressed, her trained eyes picking all details from each with barely a look. It was so alienating to realize that Celes, the general raised and bred for nothing but warfare, was a gigantic shopaholic. She had first seen it during the whole Gau incident, and she still hadn't internalized it.

"Remember when we left Elysium? We decided that that was simply no time and place to have a celebration with the amount of injuries we had, not to mention the lack of PLACE to have it. Well, now we have a time and a place. That being Mobliz in about a week. And you have to look gorgeous for it," she explained, catching Terra off-guard in the next to last part.

"Wait, Mobliz?! Why Mobliz? It is barely a town yet. It's moving fast Celes yes, but there's no-"

"Terra, YOU are the guest of honour, the celebration wouldn't happen if it wasn't for you and that no-good boyfriend of yours. So it is only natural that… Oh my Le- I mean God!" everything that one would normally see in Celes had just vanished in the blink of an eye. Her eyes were glittering as if they housed stars, her hands were cupped around her face and there was a look of pure ecstasy and joy permeating from her entire body. This could only mean that she found a piece of clothing she especially adored. "Terra, we need to get you in this!"

* * *

"Hey! Hey! Fantasia to Terra! C'mon, I'm right here!" Zidane called, taking Terra back to reality. She let out a curt smile and nodded in response, being sure to add an apology.

"I'm sorry… still, you're helping with the preparations? That's very kind of you, thank you!" Terra told him with a more genuine smile.

"Anything for a lady… And Celes was more than convincing when we got here," Zidane explained, to which Terra could only chuckle. That was Celes alright. "Oh, that's right! She told me to get you to the stables! Apparently, you're getting the afternoon off!" Zidane told her with a smile, something that at first didn't sit that well.

"No, I can't! Everyone is working so hard that I-"

"Why do you think I agreed into working here today? C'mon Terra, I know you, you've probably been overworking yourself these entire six months… you deserve some R&R, don't you think?" he questioned, hitting bull's-eye. Truth be told, Terra hadn't slept last night, being more focused in giving the final touches to the Inn's roof and top floor just that the extra workers that Figaro was sending them had some better place to sleep in.

"Yes but…" Terra looked back into Zidane's eyes and slowly came to grips that he had the look of someone who wasn't taking no for an answer. The Genome was, if nothing else, the Paragon of Women's Rights… well, at least when it came to them thanking him afterwards. "Alright… let me just get some supplies for Dwayne and I'll take the rest of the day off." She said, finally caving in to the demands of the king of Alexandria and her best friend.

"Don't, I'll do it! Whadaya need?" he questioned, Terra finally playing along.

"Nails and boards for the roof. He's working on the windows for our house," she explained, Zidane nodding enthusiastically before jumping back to the roofs of one of the houses.

"On it! Oh, and by the way, I talked to Shin and he should be taking care of your chocobo's plumage by now, tell him he gets the afternoon off too!" Zidane exclaimed while jumping from pole to house to cart. Terra smiled at his antics before heading down the path he had suggested her.

Truth be told, she was especially anxious to see Shin. He had been… absent the last couple of weeks. Not that she doubted him on the relationship or anything close to it, she knew he was probably overworking himself due to the guilt that no logic he or her tried could fully quench. But his absence only enhanced Terra's strange feeling. One that she couldn't describe. She suspected it had a lot to do with how her life was being lived, but she couldn't quite put into words why.

She eventually snapped out of her thoughts once she arrived at the Chocobo Stables, one of the few structures that had not been all that damaged, and for that was already mostly fixed. At the very first stable was, like Zidane had promised, Shin. He was obviously bickering with Stardust, for some things would never change. Stardust's relationship with Shin being one of them.

"Just hold still! I have to get that ash out of your feathers!" Shin cried as he tried to immobilize the golden bird, which seemed to take only enjoyment from seeing Shin struggle to clean her. She was far too prideful to have anyone clean her feathers, Terra had learned that the hard way. To make matters worse for Shin, Terra greeted them.

"Shin!" she called with enthusiasm deriving from seeing her beloved for the first time in two days.

"Oh, Terra! He-"of course, Shin got stampeded on by a single bird, as Stardust wanted nothing but some cuddles from her mother. It took a while for Shin to get up, but when he did, Stardust seemed to have calmed down from Terra massaging her gold-like feathers. "It's been a while…" Shin said with a dash of shame in his voice. "Had to make a delivery to Minegarde, so I couldn't come home last night. Stardust is here to prove it… if she wants to that is." 'Course, the bird did nothing but mock him with a "wark" before returning to his mother's care.

"She doesn't need to Shin, I believe you," Terra answered with a smile. "But do try and come back more often. It doesn't get lonely, but I do miss you. We all do…" she told him, built-up disappointment shining through without her will. Shin seemed to take note of this immediately, pulling her close to his chest. Her small body did pack far more strength than it should, but she used none of it. She missed being held. It was such a novel feeling yet it seemed to be one she could not live without anymore.

"That was the last time, don't worry…" Shin told her with a certainty that confused her for a moment, but she decided to let it flow into her with the same certainty Shin had demonstrated. After a few moments, Stardust made herself be reminded off with a loud wark, leaving the duo to separate. Terra giggled while Shin smiled back at the Chocobo, saying: "Impatient, aren't we?"

"Impatient?" Terra wondered, not knowing the meaning behind Shin's words.

"Bartz told us that they don't need us… so I decided on taking you to somewhere special!" Shin explained, open arms and smiling. Terra gasped but slowly nodded afterwards. She should have expected it. Climbing onto Stardust, she asked:

"Where to?" to which Shin only shook his head.

"I'm leading today. You're a better rider, but I want it to be a surprise and you haven't slept in over a day," he saw Terra ready for the question and just answered: "Katarin was worried."

"You win… lead the way…" Terra said, suddenly starting to feel the exhaustion take over. Shin took her spot as rider, sitting behind her and taking the reins. She heard him whisper something to Stardust to take it slow. The Chocobo nodded and began racing across the town flapping its wings before jumping and taking to the skies. Feeling her hair swing with the wind currents, Terra leaned back on Shin's chest and let herself rest for the first time in far too long.

* * *

She awakened not long after, the vibration coming from a landing behind enough to cause her temporary slumber to be broken. Her skin, while not quivering, adjusted immediately to the change in temperature, one of the various quirks of being partially made of mana. What did it adjust to? The cold and snowy climate of Narshe. For that is where Shin had taken her. Narshe had been a work in progress for the past 4 years or so and ironically meaning that what Terra saw now as not that much different from what she saw in the World of Ruin. Heck, it was better, as the city was not a ghost town anymore. It was bursting with people even.

"Narshe? Why did you bring me here?" She asked of her boyfriend just as he guided Stardust to the stables.

"A couple of things really," Shin replied, hopping off Stardust and paying the owner for a couple hours of spot. They DID need to come back to the party in time. Terra knew Stardust had taken an hour going through the 300 miles that separated Narshe from Mobliz, but that was it going slow. They could be in Mobliz in fifteen minutes if she went full throttle, so there was no real risk of missing the encounter.

They walked through the populated area of Narshe, Terra being more than pleased to see no hatred or scorn hazing its way from the eyes of onlookers, rather the kids seemed to be controlling themselves against pouncing on her specifically. She was not the biggest fan of mobs, but it was the little things that mattered to her, that showed that things were slowly moving in a better direction.

They soon arrived at the caverns, taking a different route from the mining facilities of course. Terra felt nostalgia flood her as the start of her adventure… her life even. From the liberation to the escape with the Moogles, it was there that her life was finally given back to her by Locke.

"Terra, would you close your eyes?" Shin asked as they neared a turn. At this point, he found his request odd but did it anyway. She felt herself being pulled by the hand by Shin for a solid minute, strange noises frolicking around her, but kept her eyes shut. That was until something round and fluffy hit her leg, a meek "kupo" being released into the air. Terra opened her eyes immediately and nearly fainted as she found herself and Shin surrounded by all kinds of Moogles. Ivalician bunny-like Moogles. Alexandrian Furry-Ball Moogles. And her own favorite classical Moogles, including Mog.

Unable to control herself, she got on her knees and scooped four Moogles, Mog included, into a squeaking hug.

"How did you all GET here?!" she exclaimed while furiously nuzzling the white fur balls with love and obsessiveness, pompons caressing her cheeks for extra enjoyment.

"Shin there knew how you felt when you saw this cave empty, kupo! So he came to me two months ago and asked me if I minded sharing, kupo! Of course I said I didn't, but I wasn't prepared to have Shin bring as many Moogles as he could find that had lost their homes here, kupo! We're still expanding, but the colony is bigger than ever, kupo, and it's all thanks to him! Kupo!" Mog explained, his voice more peppy than ever. He had always given hints of how he missed his colony, but this seemed to be more than making up for it all. Terra looked up to see Shin scratch the back of his head.

"You said you wanted to help Mog when Mobliz was done… well, I kinda did it anyway. Of course I didn't do it all by myself, I asked around and Hope was able to find the location of many refugees online, so I took those and brought them here. It's a work in progress, but I could tell it was bothering you, I could feel it, so… yeah. Hope said he is going to help in making it known that this mountain something Moogles that lost their homes can inhabit. You can even come visit them more often if you'd like! I don't mind, I love these little guys!" Shin exclaimed, scratching the chin of a nearby flying ball of fluffy fur.

"Shin… thank you," she mouthed before having her primal instincts pull her back into a cuddle fest. It was an hour before she went through all the Moogles, asking for their names and giving them the "Terra treatment", but she finally asked Shin what was the "other subject". All of this while holding a Crystalian Moogle baby, you know those Moogles that could pass for furry footballs with wings? Imagine them as babies. Yes. That.

"Well, there's a place I want to take you… feel free to bring that little guy if you want to," he added, knowing that Terra wasn't ready to stop both her maternal and cuteness loving instincts just then. She smiled warmly at him and decided to follow. She mused about how independent Shin had become over their first meeting almost a year ago. For the longest time he always needed someone else by his side to do things, yet now he had taken to himself to give a home to these Moogles. Granted, he had asked for help doing so, but the initiative was something he didn't have at the beginning. It was something both of them had developed over their time together.

They left the cave and headed towards what Terra realized to be the summit. With every step, a memory resounded. She was reminded of the battle that took place at this very portion of the mountain against the Empire, defending Valigarmanda. Her very first beating of Kefka, sadistically satisfying as it was. And the climb to the top that followed, where she for the first time realized she had a group of friends, not companions.

And at the very top, the nostalgic visage of the lone peak where once Valigarmanda stood brought her the most bittersweet of all memories.

"It was here, wasn't it Terra? That you first realized what you were." Shin told her, knowing full well that this was where she had first tranced. She slowly nodded back to him.

"My life… it was never the same after meeting Valigarmanda here. I managed to put it behind, I accepted what I am, but the memory is still not a happy one. I was so afraid… so ashamed when I looked into the ice and saw myself in it. My life hasn't slowed down ever since," Terra said with a nostalgic gaze into the skies.

"Well, it has now, hasn't it?" Shin questioned. Apparently, this was what he wanted Terra to realize. Or if he didn't, he still made her.

"Well I… don't feel like it has. I know it should but… everything is still changing so fast. Mobliz is growing larger and larger, everyone is moving on with their lives, Edge and Rydia got married a month ago. Locke's talking about having a kid with Celes... everyone seems to be finding their place in the world, their purpose, but I just feel more and more alienated. I don't know, maybe… maybe someone like me, bred for war, just can't find a purpose in a world of peace. Even in the one year between Kefka's downfall and the start of the final battle, I was still like this. Adrift as everyone changed around me. Fast. Too fast…" she gripped the baby Moogle tighter and felt something stream down her eyes. Were those… tears?

"So that is what is keeping you up all these nights…" Shin told her as he swept his finger through her cheeks. "I knew you were struggling against something, I knew it was something from your past, I just needed to be sure what it was. I had a feeling not even you did, so I brought you here to Narshe one of the places which has affected your life the most, memories do wonders on your mind and soul sometimes," Shin explained Terra while he pulled her in for a small embrace.

"You'd know about memories, wouldn't you?" Terra asked quietly, Shin nodding at her in response.

"However, Terra, there's no reason for you to be worried. Not everyone finds their place at the same time. Rydia and Edge spent seventeen years wobbling around, Rydia between our world and the Eidolons and Edge between Mist and Eblan before they finally found their place. Cloud… well, I think we all know about Cloud. Locke even lost his place and gained another one. Maybe you are right and things are changing too fast. They change so fast that they scare you. I can relate with it. But you DO have your place, with your kids. Maybe your purpose is just being their mother, maybe it's something else. Give it time. Don't be afraid of the change, of changing. We'll always be here to support you," he told her, cupping the right side of her face while he peered into those deep violet eyes. "I won't let you be left behind…" he whispered before slowly kissing her lips for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry Shin, it's just that… this kind of peace is still so foreign to me." She told him while taking her Moogle to her cheek, receiving a small peck on her cheek from the baby she held, warming her heart even more.

"You tell me, I never HAD peace ever since I was born!" Shin exclaimed with a smile, rubbing Terra's scalp before turning into the horizon. "Let's just take it easy Terra, we both have a kind of lifestyle we never even imagined ahead of us. With a bit of patience we'll get there, don't you agree?" Terra took a good look at the sun bathed snowflakes coming down from the sky, catching one in her hand. She looked down upon it and reminded herself of the very first time she took control of her body outside the empire.

"Yes Shin… I think we'll be just fine…"

* * *

The trip back to Mobliz was much faster this time, with Stardust indulging Terra into her pleasure of nigh-supersonic speed traveling, much to Shin's chagrin. When they landed, they took the fastest path towards their house to get ready for it. While suits and ties weren't called for, some degree of class was expected in any party of this nature. They got into their rooms and changed as fast as possible, and while Terra did take significantly less time than most girls on her clothing, tying a ponytail and prepping it takes some time, so she took slightly more than her boyfriend. When she left the room she found Shin waiting for her in a pair of brown jeans, a simple marine blue shirt and a brown loose jacket for to finish up. He never was much into the "classy" approach. Needless to say, when she did leave her room, Shin's jaw was loose.

Terra had decided to wear the dress Celes had bought for her not even a week ago. It was a light summer dress with just the right amount of formality and class for this kind of event. It consisted of a marine blue dress which covered her torso, hem of it going down to her just below her right knee and while cutting across her leg to her waist. Additionally, on her waist was a light green, nearly azure sash whose ends fell to the side of her more exposed leg, as if to draw attention to it. She wore a pair of golden bracelets on each of her wrists along with a gold chained necklace and pair of earrings, the necklace sporting a pair of blue jewels and a larger magenta tear-dropped shaped one, while the earrings sported blue tear drops. To put the final touch on it all her hairpin that held her ponytail was shaped like a white flower, one that just enhanced the fresh appeal of the ensemble of clothing.

"You look… I can't even…" Shin stuttered, just standing there looking for words.

"Just a simple, "you're beautiful" will suffice for now!" Terra teased while grabbing Shin's hand. "Let's go, you know how Celes can be when you miss the appointed time!" she exclaimed, a newfound joy brimming on the girl as she and Shin strutted down the stairs. She suddenly felt a pull stop her from leaving. She turned back to have Shin whisper:

"You're gorgeous." Before pecking her on the lips and opening the door himself.

"And you're cheesy," she spoke back, Shin shrugging in response. It WAS true.

When they arrived it was obvious that the festivities had already started but they were still in their infancy. The entire plaza was just filled with people of all planets and countries, large tables of food and drink scattered around while waitresses walked around to deliver snacks and drinks. At three different points there were strategically placed grills, being manned by Jecht Ramsey, Prishe Oliver and Gilgamesh Lagasse, AKA the trio of master chefs. A grill manned by Jecht was possibly the manliest grill ever.

"You're late… as usual," Celes said as she and Locke approached with a glasses, handing Terra and Shin their own refreshments for the evening.

"Did we miss something?" Shin asked earnestly, to which the general went.

"Do you count a sorry excuse for a speech from Edgar "missing anything"?" she questioned and sadly, no, not even Terra did.

"So, what do we do now?" Terra asked, Locke shaking his head.

"You have six months to catch up on. Zack wants a ward with your man and I'd bet you gil that that Luneth kid is frantically looking for you, so I'd say just let loose for a the night!" Locke told her, patting her on the shoulder before walking off to get some of Jecht's nearly finished hamburgers.

"Well, I'll see you in a bit, I have to go talk to Zack, you go and find Luneth, I'll find you in a second!" Shin exclaimed, strangely vanishing into the crowd. Terra wondered what had prompted such behavior, but did what she was asked to do. Walking through the crowd she spotted Luneth talking with Dwayne as he admired the baby. Accompanying Luneth was Cloud, unsurprisingly at this point, and Vaan, as he was the self-appointed big brother to the Onion Knight. Cloud basically wore what he always wore, ever the charmer I know, Vaan's shirt was kept, he simply removed all battle armaments from his normal clothes. Luneth wore an orange shirt, white baggy pants and a crown of flowers that Terra just KNEW Refia had made him wear.

"Terra! I've been looking for you!" Luneth exclaimed, running up to her and giving her a quick hug.

"Looking good today, huh Terra?" Vaan complimented off-handedly, greeting her with a hug of his own. Cloud just gave her the customary greeting.

"How have you all been?!" Terra questioned, eager to learn more about their past. She saw Dwayne take the orphans away to get them some alone time and she thanked him for it.

"Well… Ashe's pretty much codding my brain into nobility, so it's been a harsh half a year. Other than that, not much on my part. Rabanastre is pretty much the most untouched city, so it's mostly been me and Ashe…" he added a sly laugh at the end of it all, one that even Terra got the meaning of. "What about you kiddo? Heard your world got pretty messed up."

"Ur and Kazus are smalltime villages, so they got finished a month ago. We're mostly clearing up monsters around them and Sasune as it gets rebuilt. Ingus has been mostly drilling us into being "useful", only Refia gets a free pass since blacksmithing is considered useful. Even ARC has to work on monster clearing…" he sighed, clearly not the biggest fan of his job lately. Still, it only took Terra petting him on the head to dispel all bad thoughts.

"What about you Cloud, working on SOLDIER again?" Terra asked him, the spiky haired blonde shaking his head.

"I'm done with it for the most part. They call me for emergencies, but they have Zack to hold them together, he's far more into it than I am. I'm running the delivery business. Fast, more in demand than ever and it lets me see the world. I've been told by Marlene I have to be at home more often now that I am in a relationship, but I just tell her this will wane when the planets start getting back up," Cloud responded, having Terra smile about how predictable and unchanging he was. There was a much lighter aura around him, he seemed to be relaxed in his own, Cloudy way.

"What about you? How have you and dragon-guy been?" Vaan asked with a smile on his face.

"I've been… alright. Rebuilding Mobliz is my main focus, as is teaching my orphans. Shin's been taking some treks without me noticing and he's been busy too," Terra replied, any melancholy being dispelled at the memory of the conversation they had before.

"Yes, I have to admit it was nice of him to set up this party," Luneth said, causing Terra to step back in shock.

"He… what?!" she exclaimed, Vaan hitting Luneth on the top of the head.

"He TOLD US to keep it a secret numbnut!" Vaan admonished. He then turned to Terra and sighed. "Yeah, Shin proposed this to everyone. Seems like you were a bit mellow during this time so he got us together as soon as he felt it was possible, sappy guy he may be, but attentive to a fault." The Pirate turned King said with a shrug. Terra didn't know if she was surprised or just thankful. Likely both. She would have never imagined Shin going through such lengths for her. It truly warmed her heart.

"That does leave us with why he felt the need to do it. What has gone wrong Terra?" Cloud cut to the chase, having Terra actually having to think harder than she thought on it.

"I just… felt like there was something missing in my life. Things just moved so fast I got somewhat overwhelmed," she explained, to which Cloud was quick to point out:

"You are using the past tense," she had done it involuntarily, and did not understand why. Was it a good sign? A tongue slip? "Well, seems to me you'll be fine after today…" Cloud told her just as Bahamut landed on the north south of the plaza.

"STRIP POKER EDGE?! YOU ARE MARRIED! Or WERE married! Fry him Bahamut!" Rydia's outrage filled voice echoed.

"Not the town! It's barely getting up now!" Shin exclaimed, standing between Bahamut and Edge. "Just take him outside and shoot him.

"What the hell man! Zack did it too!" Edge shouted back, receiving nothing less than a shrug.

"Sorry, but Zack's only dating. You deserve it." Shin told him, truth be told, Zack WAS being whipped into shape by his current girl, but Edge's slow flight into oblivion was much more grave and let's face it, much more enjoyable.

"Some things never change…" Terra whispered to herself, the realization of it bringing a sort of relief to her being.

* * *

The evening soon turned into night as Terra talked the night away with the likes of her children, Celes, Cloud, Luneth, Ashe, Vaan, Rydia, the carcass formerly known as Edge, hell, she was even taken completely aback when she learned from Lightning that she was now officially engaged.

Terra cleared a few tables by herself, as expected, to the point where Gilgamesh was appointed as her cook for an hour or so. It all came to a climax when, near midnight a bonafied airship landed on the northern part of the plaza, bordering the outskirts. From it, searchlights emerged as a thick puff of smoke covered the top. The entire crowd had their eyes on the smoke some of them just calling what was going to happen.

"Hello Mobliz!" Yuna exclaimed as she left the mystery smoke. "My name is High Summoner Yuna, and I am here to rock your socks off!" Everyone snidely looked at Tidus, who mouthed; "I don't even know anymore!"

Right on cue, Yuna cued the music and began singing. Terra to admit that she did not expect Yuna's singing voice to be so good, much less one used for pop songs but truth be told, everyone was dancing in less than a minute's time from her starting. Except the drunk ones. Those were not classified as dancing.

Terra shivered at seeing Shin move towards her. She did not dance. At all. He was her hero whenhe instead told her to:

"Let's go to the beach, I'm not in the mood to dance." She was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

As you could deduce, Mobliz had become far closer to the beach than in the World of Ruin, being a port town now, but the beach was still the same one, Terra guaranteed that. The pale moonlight reflected on the calm see as she and Shin took off their footwear and had their feets massaged by the sand.

"Escaped just in time… last thing I want is to try to dance," Shin mused, kneeling on the ground before sitting.

"I thought you remembered how to, you have memories, don't you?" Terra asked him, mirroring his efforts.

"No muscle memory. Meaning I'm just as inept as you!" Shin exclaimed, earning himself a slap on the knee.

"I'm NOT inept… just didn't practice is all…" she meekly defended, Shin bellowing laughter in return. She slapped him again, causing him to grow silent. They simply stared into the silver sea together, their ears tuning out the music from the distance, it was both relaxing as it jogged Terra's memory. She had one thing to tell Shin. "You set this all up… didn't you?"

"Luneth?" Shin asked with a knowing look.

"Luneth," Terra confirmed, Shin chuckling in return. "If you did all of this for me Shin… thank you. I… I had an amazing time with everyone here."

"Well, Cloud told me something new," Shin told her, making Terra bite her lip in response. "He told me you felt like you were missing something… something you couldn't or didn't name. Care to share?"

"I… I wish I knew what it was Shin. I left nothing out of our conversation, I would never lie to you. There's just been this yearning I had during these pasts months. A yearning I can't satisfy nor comprehend. If I'm honest, I'd say that THIS is the answer to my crisis. If only I could get to the bottom of it…"Shin nodded, as if expecting the response.

"Well, now you know about all my shenanigans but one. Reason why I spent the last two weeks so absent is because Elfé asked three materials off me. Some gold and silver from Narshe, an amethyst from Rabanastre and a piece of Orichalcum from Caelum. Needless to say, I was busy with it, but Zack showed me the results earlier today and it turned out just fine," Shin explained, to which Terra nodded, thankful he had put the final white lie to rest. She wondered why Elfé needed all of that, but was decided against it. Minutes… or was it hours? She didn't know, she just knew that time had serenely passed while the two of them gazed at the sea together. It was a simple kind of pleasure, but the good kind. Shin, however, had something else in mind. He seemed to be slowly but surely changing expression. Almost like he was gathering courage. Eventually, he asked:

"Terra, do you know where we are?" Terra perking up and wondering what he meant. "I was… born here," he told her, realization dawning in Terra. Yes, the orphans had found him stranded on this very beach ten months ago. "For me, this location is equivalent to Narshe. I have memories of other pasts, but this… this is where my life started. I've come here several times to think over the past months… and I have dealt with the same problems you have."

"Was this why you lead me to Narshe? Because you had done the same?" she asked of Shin, who slowly nodded.

"We know the same about the world, little of peace and much of war. I was even born with the intention of battling immediately. I felt just like you did and do. Like it was all changing too fast. Like everyone was leaving me behind… but most of all, there was this void inside me. I came here for two entire months, just looking for what it was that I was lacking. Then, the realization struck," Shin told Terra, slowly rising to his feel and walking to the side, Terra following him. "I think everyone feels like this at one point in their lives. Where they have no set course and are just terrified everyone will just sail by them, leaving them alone in life. Maybe it's when faced with an unsurmountable problem, maybe it's when they are sick, maybe it's simply their lack off course in life. It doesn't really matter, does it? Because all of them, all of these problems can be solved in one way."

"Shin?" Terra asked him, noticing a wholly uncharacteristic tone from her boyfriend. He had stopped walking and turned to face her with a mixture of seriousness and a gentleness she did not expect to see of him in this situation.

"Terra, everyone needs someone else to steer the course when they lose their way. Someone to guide them. Maybe the same person will need your guidance in another time of her life. Maybe they need their guidance just as much as you need theirs…"he took a step towards her, cupping her cheek and drifting into her eyes once again, smiling gently as he did. "I told you I wouldn't let you be left behind Terra… and I'm willing to see this promise to the end,"

Terra could not believe what she was seeing right now. Shin was slowly dropping down on one knee, reaching for his back pocket. Her mind knew what he was about to say, but denied it, her heart knew what he was about to ask, so it stopped, her eyes knew what they were about to do, so they watered.

"Terra Branford…" Shin began, his right hand rising above his left, both of them encasing a small black box that slowly, gently opened, glowing in a warm white light that reflected the moon. "Will you marry me?"

Terra's heart just stopped. She could not think of anything right now. Her lips trembled, she was crying, she knew it. Her mind was blank, her feelings numb. She could not speak, her lips were simply unmoving. A moment passed, nothing changed. Yet, without any rational thought in her mind, her head nodded, without any beating in her heart, her instinct glorified Shin's request with an undeniable:

"Yes! Forever, yes!" she exclaimed, her heart and mind returning to her as Shin took her into his arms, raising her into the night sky with a cheer of joy. He spun her in midair as the obvious spies emerged from the sand.

"To think you finally did it…" Celes told them in the shakiest commanding voice ever told. She was holding back tears for the one she saw, no, the one that WAS her sister. Everyone else, Terra's children, Edge, Rydia, Cuore Zack, Aqua, Cloud, Locke, Vaan, Luneth, Bartz and Zidane, even Squall who had obviously been dragged here they all had the very same look on their face, all of them were either on the verge of tears or in tears. Well, not Squall or Cloud, but their smiles were far rarer than some tears.

"I was completely taken aback when this kid just took control of the situation! Setting up the party, the moogles, the ring… all by himself? Maybe she missed him, but she never found out! You pass kid, you freaking pass!" Zack exclaimed, his smile wider than everyone in there combined. The disciple had surpassed the master.

"The ring…" Terra began, realizing what this meant.

"Elfé asked me for the materials. Never said WHY!" Shin exclaimed while looking back at the ring case.

"Put a ring on her before she changes her mind!" Bartz joked, but Shin knew it had to be done. His heart was pounding harder than ever in his life as he took the ring he had had Elfé make, one whose entire band and setting was made of Orichalcum, the flame like metal that shone on its own accord, it's band decorated with gold and silver inlay, one that formed a small but visible silver and gold dragon motif slithering around it, leading to an elaborate setting modeled with a dual cupped white wings motif that shone like flames on the moon's eye, a single amethyst planted in-between the wings, a gemstone that reminded him and everyone of Terra's ethereal violet eyes.

"Shin I…" she began.

"You said enough Terra, you are worth this, you are worth this and infinitely more," Shin whispered as he slid it down Terra's ring finger. She gazed upon it in disbelief for a few moments, before having another primal urge taking over her. She took his now fiancée and pulled him in for a large but gentle kiss, one that let loose all the pent-up care and love she had for him for all these months. She didn't feel it anymore. That she was missing something. She knew she had found it. True treasure is never over the horizon, true treasure is always the one you can touch, always the one right in arm's reach.

"Well then Shin, care to share with Mama what your final plan is?" Katarin asked, leaving Shin to take the final word.

"Terra, our marriage is on our one year anniversary. May 17th. I hope you don't mind it being just a few months awa-" Shin's confession was sealed with another kiss. Terra didn't feel the need to talk. Not today. Today, she had finally found her answer.

Shin was her treasure, and she was his. That she now knew. That she would never forget.

* * *

**Post-Author's Note:** I won't lie. I got teary eyed writing this. Three years… three years have culminated in this. Nothing of grand proportions, just… just what I truly felt Shin and Terra's proposal would be like. I truly hope I made their characters justice writing this. Everyone, thank you for following me for these past years, you guys are truly the best and I hope I met your expectations. We are not done yet, we still have "I Do." To do, but until that is upon us, the best for you all, you are amazing readers! Ciao!


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